Benllech Flower Club July Opening Evening

by Kay Middlemiss
(Benllech)

The stage of the Community Hall overflowed with flowers at Benllech Flower Club's open evening on 17th July.

National demonstrator, Margaret Ecclestone from Stone in Staffordshire, stepped in at short notice when Kevin Gunnel had to cancel due to illness, and she really went to town to make sure her audience was not disappointed.

The result was magnificent.

Margaret's first arrangement was a low design in shades of pink - carnations, gerbera and Hollywood roses with bronze rubrifolia and grey eucalyptus foliage.

While we are applauding she produces, from behind the curtain, a matching pedestal which she links to the first display with a trail of pink roses. The audience gasped.

For the second design a planed and sanded plank of wood stood
on end. A cage of oasis was attached and within minutes, the plank was transformed into a beautiful swag of yellow calla lilies, roses and palm swaths.

Intertwined loops of yellow can gave a trendy touch to a traditional
shape. While she is working Margaret entertains us recounting her experience of arranging the flowers for the Queen's visit to Stafford.

For the traditionalists who love green and white there were matching urns of white avalanche roses, carnations, freesia and Singapore orchids arranged around a fountain of tall grasses. A splash of sunshine came in the dramatic form of a black vase filled with yellow sunflowers and solidego, backed by phormium tenax, aspidistra and fatsia.

For her colourful finale Margaret's theme "Africa" was inspired by the
statue of a Massai warrior, Orange lilies; yellow chrysanths; red and salmon pink carnations, and blue agapanthus vied with colourful ostrich feathers and vivid drapes.

With foliage of copper beech, yellow lonicera and fronds of
palm, the spirit and vibrancy of Africa was captured brilliantly in colours few of us would dare to combine.

The audience showed their appreciation of the magical evening with long applause and, for our harassed booking secretary, a near disaster had become a triumph.

Kay Middlemiss